Sexual predators using cellphones to prey on kids

Authorities are warning parents and children to be mindful of websites and cellphone apps that notify others of their whereabouts — or their proximity to others — saying they are yet another tool predators can use to target victims.

Cyber safety tips for parents

If you are worried about who your children might be communicating with on the computer or cellphone, you should:

• Consider talking with them about your suspicions.

• Check out their computers and cellphones. If you don’t know how, ask a friend, relative or co-worker.

• Use caller ID to determine who is calling them.

• Monitor their access to all types of electronic communications, including email, instant messages and texts.

Last week, a 24-year-old Escondido man was arrested and charged with 10 felony counts after police said he had sex with a 12-year-old girl he met on

Skout.com, a network that allows users to interact with people who are geographically near them through GPS-enabled phones.

Christopher Bradley Nutt, who had recently moved to the area from San Dimas, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Vista Superior Court.

According to its website,

Skout.com was designed to help users chat online then meet in the real world. The company says it is “100% up to you if you want to make contact with someone — or if you want to respond to someone who is trying to contact you.”

But experts who work to protect children from predators say young people don’t always fully understand the privacy settings offered on social networking sites, including Facebook, and may be too quick to reveal their identity and location.

Some youngsters may not even be aware that the geographical location services on their smart phones have been activated.

“I don’t think that’s safe for anybody,” said Darlene Kanzler, manager of the San Diego Police Foundation’s Safety Net program. “Do you want people to know your home is empty?”

Kanzler said that in the past two years she has given presentations to 45,000 children in San Diego County. She warns sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders against “friending” people they don’t know, and that they should never meet strangers offline that they’ve encountered online.

“A lot of times the kids are surprised at how people may look at them on the Internet,” she said.

The San Diego Police Foundation, through its partnership with the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, also educates parents on cyber safety. Online classes are available on the Safety Net website at